


The Dragon Keeper

by guineagirl5



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Billy loves dragons more than people, Dragons are common but not regarded highly, M/M, Steve just wants adventure, They are used for trade and manual labor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23166316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guineagirl5/pseuds/guineagirl5
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 22
Kudos: 20





	1. Dragon References

Welcome! All of the pictures below are the references used for the dragons for this universe. They are from the book "Dragonology" by Ernest Drake, a great book to just sit and flip through! All credit for the images to them.

Basic list of dragons

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/187453986@N03/49664533431/in/dateposted-public/)

Knucker (Used for ground transportation and cargo)

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/187453986@N03/49663994908/in/dateposted-public/)

European Dragon (Tiberius; Common, mostly used for transporting cargo long distances)  
[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/187453986@N03/49664533766/in/dateposted-public/)

Lindworm (Betsy; Very common; sometimes pets, sometimes pests; Not as big as stated here, about the size of a small dog; Not as intelligent as other dragons.)  
[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/187453986@N03/49663994978/in/dateposted-public/)

Amphithere (Not as common; sometimes used to carry large nets of fish and produce, other non-fragile supplies)

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/187453986@N03/49664818567/in/dateposted-public/)


	2. Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The older Harrington’s didn’t approve of messing around with dragons, thought they were dirty and dangerous, an animal of the vagrants and lowly merchants; thought Steve should spend his time in the horse stable rather than a dragon depot. But Steve wasn’t like his parents, a Lord and Lady of Hawkins. He wanted to get out into the world, see what could be, see what already was, and if that included giant reptilian beasts, then so be it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This universe is my favorite to think about, to be honest. I don't have much time to continue this at the moment, with college and all, but I'm not leaving it alone forever! Enjoy!

Steve walked along the market stalls, taking in the sights and sounds each one had to offer. One sold dragon claw weapons, another sold tonics and potions that could make one invulnerable to fire. His goal wasn’t to shop for pointless knick-knacks and trinkets, however.  


He was headed for the dragon depot, where almost all trade for the city went out and came in on the backs of all different types of dragons. It was fascinating watching all of the creatures glide in on feathered or leathery wings, some with small cargo strapped to their backs and others with large hanging nets full of different goods. Steve had always found it riveting to watch as a boy. He could see the dragon rider’s in their saddles from his bedroom window, guiding the large creatures where they needed to go. It looked freeing.  


The older Harrington’s didn’t approve of messing around with dragons, thought they were dirty and dangerous, an animal of the vagrants and lowly merchants; thought Steve should spend his time in the horse stable rather than a dragon depot. But Steve wasn’t like his parents, a Lord and Lady of Hawkins. He wanted to get out into the world, see what could be, see what already was, and if that included giant reptilian beasts, then so be it.  


He pulled his navy cloak closer around his body to keep out the autumn chill as he reached the entrance of the trade yard. It was bustling. Dragons of all shapes and sizes everywhere, each with a purpose. Steve stared slack-jawed as a long, brown, four-legged dragon dragged logs across the yard and out, presumably to a construction site. Moving deeper, Steve caught sight of the landing areas for the cargo dragons, watching as a worker fed a large green one a big slab of meat as payment for its work.  


“What’s a pretty boy like you doing in the dragon depot?” A husky voice sounded from next to Steve, startling him out of his amazement.  


A man no shorter than the brunette stood lazily, a strand of hay sticking from his mouth. Typical dragon rider, Steve thought. The other man was blond, curly hair sticking out in several directions as a thin, pale green dragon perched along his shoulders, it’s two feet gripping onto the man’s tunic. The little dragon seemed to be chewing a chunk of the man’s hair.  


“Uh…I-I’m sorry?” Steve stuttered, watching distractedly as the blond pet the dragon behind an ear.  


“I said… What’s a pretty boy like you, doing in a place like this?” He asked again, a haughty smirk taking over his features.  


“Just looking, I’m just… looking?”  


“You do know it’s dangerous to be in here. I mean, these dragons don’t take well to newcomers.” Almost as if on cue, the man’s dragon hissed at Steve, before going back to sliming up the guy’s hair.  


“ _Shit!_ ” Steve took a step back.  


“Heh, we’re just fucking with you. Name’s Billy. Dragon rider and caretaker here.” He took Steve’s hand to give it a firm shake. “You look like you haven’t touched dirt in your life.”  


Steve glanced down at his own clothing, which did look suspiciously clean of any filth.  


“Yeah, I normally don’t go outside that much. I’m Steve.” His eyes kept flitting nervously to the two-legged demon on Billy’s shoulder.  


“Ah, forgive my manners. This here is Betsy, a Lindworm. She’s not as dangerous as she wants to believe.”  


Betsy cocked her head at Steve, one slightly bulging eye flicking over his face. She chittered softly in Billy’s ear, and he giggled like she told him a secret.  


“So you didn’t answer my question. What brings you down to the slums? Mommy and Daddy let you out?” Billy pointedly looked at the family crest on the flap of Steve’s cloak.  


“Something like that.”  


Billy’s blue gaze turned back to Steve’s, seemingly evaluating him. “Well then, who am I to reject nobility? Wanna take a walk with me?” Before Steve could answer, Billy turned and started walking further into the vast trading depot. He turned around briefly to see Steve still standing hesitantly. “Better hurry if you don’t wanna get crushed, pretty boy.”  


Steve hurried after him.  


Betsy wound her long body around Billy’s neck loosely, her two clawed feet tangling in Billy’s curls as he walked. She kept looking behind as if to make sure Steve could keep up.  


They walked silently through the throng of merchants and depot workers, Billy smirking at each little gasp of awe that Steve let escape. The crowd thinned as they got further into what looked like a camp, with large tents and campfires all over the place.  


“People live here?” Steve asked, watching a woman with a small child play with a Lindworm with sandy yellow scales.  


“Trading isn’t just a job, it’s a livelihood. Some people live here, like me. Others set up camp for a few days before moving on. Gotta be ready for a sudden change in this profession.”  


Steve looked away from the child and mother, catching sight of more than a few large barns in the distance. “Are those…?”  


“Those are the dragon stables. My job here is to care for this depots dragons when they’re not in the air.” Billy started walking in the direction of the barns. Betsy jumped off of Billy to join in the fun with the other Lindworm.  


“How many are in there?” Steve asked.  


“Each barn holds up to six dragons, most of them Europeans.”  


“…Europeans?” Steve had always heard different names for the species of dragons but was never allowed to study them.  


“The big four-legged ones with wings?” Billy’s eyebrow raised at Steve, who just looked on in confusion.  


“Gods, you really are a noble boy. Don’t know anything past your own two feet. You’re lucky I found you before a rogue Knucker. They’ve been known to eat stray children, you know.” Billy scoffed.  


Steve huffed indignantly but thought Billy’s statement over.  


“You could teach me.”  


Billy smirked. “You think you can keep up, princess?”  


Steve nodded.  


Billy bit his lip, thinking. “Alright. First things first, you need clothes that aren’t made of silk.”  


“Lead the way.”


	3. Trust and Intention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty short chapter, but I wanted to post _something_. Enjoy!

Billy let Steve borrow a simple wool tunic and pants, which were slightly too big but served their purpose. An old pair of leather boots were thrown in his direction as well. 

“These will keep you from getting dung on your precious silks,” Billy smirked, watching Steve step behind a pile of hay bales to change. “So... what really brings you down here? Most nobles hate coming to mix with us dragon freaks.”

“I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to see what else there is besides fancy dinners and courting ladies.” Steve came out from his impromptu dressing room. “Mother and Father weren’t home for once, so I snuck out.” He adjusted his borrowed clothing around his shoulders and hips. 

Billy’s eyes went soft at the sight. “And what were you hoping to find?”

Steve shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just kind of... followed the dragons.” 

Billy chuckled. “Yeah, that's how most dragon riders start out.” 

Steve took a closer look at the man in front of him. Besides being attractive, there are small details he didn’t notice on first look. Scars, both large and small, trailed up his bare arms and across his palms. A pearl earring stood out against the tanned skin of Billy’s left ear. “Is that how you started? Just... followed the dragons?” 

Billy’s smirk fell minutely. “No. Not really. The dragons came to me, as cliche as it sounds.” His eyes fell down to the hay strewn floor. Before Steve could ask further, Billy snapped back to attention. “Nevermind that. Tiberius will be waiting for me. Come on.”

\------------------------------------------------

They left the first barn and entered the second. Three large stalls lined each side of it, each containing a large trough and mounds of what looked to be different gold and jewels. Most stalls were empty but looked lived in, probably because they were out for work. The one dragon present was sleeping, jewels tucked up tight against its underbelly.

“Where do all of the jewels come from?” Steve whispered, watching the long dragon with no legs and two large bird-like wings snuffle tiredly. 

“They usually bring them in themselves, suppose they find them in their off time when they’re not working.” Billy followed Steve’s gaze to the feathery dragon. “That’s Gatlin, one of the few Amphithere’s we have. I found him on a flight to Mexico, his native habitat. Shot down by some poachers, it looked like.” Billy smiled sadly at Gatlin. In addition to the normal scaly skin of most dragons, Gatlin had feathers around his head and tail. Billy picked up a loose feather from the ground, giving it to Steve. It was larger than any feather he had ever seen. “He probably wouldn’t have made it if Tiberius and I hadn’t taken him back with us.” 

“So... which one is Tiberius?” Steve looked around but saw no sign of another dragon. 

Billy full-on grinned, turning away from Steve. “Hmm. I don’t know, he seems to be gone!” Billy called out, much to the chagrin of Gatlin who coiled tighter to block out the noise. Billy motioned for Steve to follow. As they made it to the corner, a large creature dropped out of the rafters, almost on top of Billy.

Steve would have screamed had it not been for Billy’s laugh ringing clear through the air. 

A large European Dragon, deep green in hue, looked to be wrestling with Billy. 

Actually, it was more that Billy was using all of his might to try to overwhelm it, but was not getting very far as the dragon was about fifty times his weight. One brush from a broad wing had Billy sprawled on the floor, but he was still smiling. 

“Tiberius, this is my new friend Steve. Steve, Tiberius.” The blond was talking through giggles as the large beast picked Billy up by his tunic to stand him upright once more. 

Steve gaped at the large creature. “ _Wow._ ” He found himself stepping forward, towards Tiberius’ snout which was slightly bigger than his own body. He stopped when the dragon snuffed indignantly and took a step back. 

“You need to earn his trust first,” Billy explained, laying a hand on the dragon's long neck. 

“You can’t just tell him to trust me?” Steve smirked, watching Billy pick at a loose scale. 

“Not everything in your life can be easy, princess.” Billy stepped out to stand next to Steve in front of Tiberius. “Get on your knees.” 

Steve flushed red, eyes widening at the implication. “Excuse me?” 

Billy’s eyes rolled back in his head in exasperation. “Gods, not like that. Just-” Billy knelt down in the hay, leaning back on his haunches. “Like this.” 

Steve followed suit. He could feel the heat from Billy’s arm brushing against his own. “Now what?” He asked quietly. Tiberius was more intimidating from the ground.

Billy looked sideways at him. “He’ll sniff you, and you’ll let him.” 

Tiberius watched Steve warily but seemed eased by Billy’s presence. A clawed foot was put down right in front of Steve’s knee, and then a big green snout was against Steve’s chest, snuffling heavily. Tiberius’ breath was _hot_ , making Steve feel feverish. The dragon nudged harder against Steve’s chest, almost knocking him over. 

“How is this gonna make him trust me exactly?” Steve’s voice wavered at the sight of a long fang peeking from behind Tiberius’ lip. 

“A person’s scent says a lot about intention. He’s just getting a better... sample, I suppose.” Billy said. “I can’t say for sure, but I’ve found this is the best way to start a relationship with a dragon.”  
Tiberius stepped away, seemingly bored with this new interaction. 

“Does...Does he trust me now?” Steve couldn’t help the note of childlike wonder and hope in his voice. 

Billy smiled softly. “Trust isn’t built in a day, pretty boy. But I _can_ tell you that Tib likes you. So far.” 

Steve rolled his eyes, watching the large green dragon curl back up on his modest pile of jewels. He let a ball of fire build in his mouth on a yawn, which extinguished as he closed his mouth. 

“I like him too,” Steve muttered finally, looking down with a tinge of pink to his cheeks. 

Billy smiled to himself for a moment longer before snapping back to attention. 

“Well... Go get a good night’s rest. I’ll take you up early in the morning.” Billy stood up quickly and started briskly walking down the aisle. 

“Whoa, ‘up’? What do you mean ‘up’?” Steve caught Billy’s elbow. 

“We’re gonna fly, pretty boy.”


End file.
